Kriseman Picks First St Pete Pier Restaurant

Kriseman Picks First St Pete Pier Restaurant

Ground has broken, the foundation is in, and now Mayor Kriseman has chosen a restaurant for their prime location: Doc Ford’s.

Doc Ford’s is an interesting choice as it is not a St Pete based establishment, but has deep roots in Florida. The name is from character in Florida-based novels by Randy Wayne White, a New York Times best selling author and partner of the restaurant chain. The proposal would seat about 250 people with more than half of the space outside overlooking the waterfront.

Between the success of the restaurant, the amount of people it would employ, and the local charitable contributions they make, it is a great compromise between keeping St Pete hyper-local and making the pier a destination location for all. “With three locations just south of Tampa Bay, Doc Ford’s has already established a reputation as a highly successful destination restaurant,” Mayor Kriseman said.

The proposal for Doc Ford’s still needs to be reviewed and accepted by the City Council. If approved, the restaurant will occupy the parking lot on the pier approach, leaving one other spot on the pier head that still needs to be assigned.